Broncos & NFL

Broncos couldn't be happier Colts chose Luck over keeping Manning

Understand that when Jim Irsay is not engaged in a filibuster with the media and talking without commas or periods, veering from complimenting Peyton Manning in one breath to dissing him the next, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts has demonstrated competency in making a sound business decision.

With complete justification, Irsay released Manning, his four-time league MVP quarterback, in March 2012. Although Manning had become a superstar during his 13 playing seasons with the Colts, he was days away from turning 36, had just missed a full season to recover from four neck surgeries and was owed $35 million.

Peyton Manning

Out with the old, battered and expensive, in with the new, cheap and talented. The Colts were so bad in 2011 without Manning, they wound up with the No. 1 draft pick at a time when Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck proclaimed his eligibility.

Irsay made a logical choice as long as he understands that no matter how he defends his decision in media interviews, the Broncos and their fans are ecstatic he made it.

Irsay talks in rambling soliloquies. The people in Denver can counter with two words: Thank you.

"I've learned that in life you need to be at peace with other people's decisions that affect you that you have no control over," Manning said during his weekly news conference Wednesday. "That's been good advice that I've had over the years and it has certainly served me well in this scenario."

Manning will lead the Broncos back to Indianapolis, where they play Irsay's Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

Since Irsay fired Manning, the quarterback has led the Broncos to a 19-4 overall record that includes a second-round playoff loss to Baltimore. He has thrown 62 touchdown passes against only 15 interceptions.

With Luck, the Colts have posted a 15-8 record that includes a first-round playoff loss to Baltimore. He has thrown 30 touchdown passes and 22 picks.

Given the 20/20 hindsight of Manning's comeback, maybe the decision Irsay made 19 months ago no longer is so clear cut. Say the Broncos win the Super Bowl this season. Think there will be revisionist discussion on Irsay's decision?

"I can almost guarantee you that if he knew (Manning) was going to be healthy like this and playing this kind of football, in hindsight I don't think he would have done it," former Colts coach Tony Dungy said during an NBC conference call. "But with everything the way it was at that time, with Andrew being there ... and the percentages of Peyton coming back ... at that point it was the right thing to do."

To promote Manning's return to Indianapolis, NBC used not Thomas Wolfe but Skylar Grey. Wolfe wrote the great American novel "You Can't Go Home Again." Grey sang "I'm Coming Home," which is not only more accurate to Manning's story, it plays better over video than Wolfe's prose.

Through no fault of his own, Luck, as the man in the middle of Manning's return to Indy, might have been less handcuffed for the matchup last year. Ordinarily, a top quarterback prospect is eased through his rookie season, then asked to carry a greater share of the offense in year No. 2.

Second-year Colts coach Chuck Pagano has come up with a contradictory plan. As a rookie last season, Luck ranked fifth among NFL quarterbacks with 627 pass attempts — 44 more than Manning threw for the Broncos. This season, Luck is averaging 8.2 fewer passes per game. Among QBs who have started and played through every game, only Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Cam Newton are throwing fewer passes.

While the rest of the league evolves into the spread 'em out, throw it short, deep and in between, the Colts are going retro mid-1960s.

"The way the game is going and our philosophy, I think it's great that running is our priority," Luck said in a conference call Wednesday with the Denver media. "If the average I'm throwing is 30 times a game, you've got to make those 30 throws count. I'm all for it."

What else would he say? The Colts' conservative play calling never was more clear than during their Monday night game at San Diego. Not including their two-minute-drill possession leading into halftime, the Colts — between their third play of the game and first possession of the fourth quarter — ran the ball on first down nine of 10 times.

It's difficult to imagine Manning signing off on such a run-first strategy. Or Johnny Unitas, for that matter.

"We know we have a great one in Andrew," said Pagano, who was born and raised in Boulder. "We certainly know he can throw the football. We know what he did last year. We certainly feel like you have to be able to run the football to win."

Not the Broncos. Sure, Manning and coach John Fox frequently state the importance of running the ball. But their actions say handoffs are for giving the receivers a breather.

Even while winning five of their six games by an average of 21 points — a margin that leads to run-the-clock fourth quarters — the Broncos rank only 15th in rushing. Even with defenses going heavy in the secondary and putting only six players in the box, the Broncos are averaging only 3.8 yards per rush.

Knowshon Moreno finished off three drives last weekend with short TD runs against Jacksonville. But it was Manning's passes that led them there.

And it will be Manning's passing that Denver, Indy and the nation will tune in to see Sunday.

"When you're out of a job, you've got to go find another job," Manning said. "Denver offered me one and I took it, and they sure have helped me in my new job."

Irsay's father, Bob, traded John Elway to the Broncos in 1983. A generation later, Bob's son made it possible for the Broncos to get Manning.

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